Delaware Code Title 18 Sec. 7512 – Prohibited practices and conflicts of interest
(a) With respect to any viatical settlement contract or insurance policy, a viatical settlement broker may not knowingly solicit an offer from, effectuate a viatical settlement with, or make a sale to any viatical settlement provider, viatical settlement purchaser, financing entity or related provider trust that is controlling, controlled by, or under common control with such viatical settlement broker.
Terms Used In Delaware Code Title 18 Sec. 7512
- Advertising: means any written, electronic or printed communication, or any communication by means of recorded telephone messages or transmitted on radio, television, the Internet, or similar communications media, including film strips, motion pictures, and videos, which are published, disseminated, circulated, or placed directly before the public in this State for the purpose of creating an interest in or inducing a person to purchase, sell, assign, devise, bequest, or transfer the death benefit or ownership of a life insurance policy pursuant to a viatical settlement contract. See Delaware Code Title 18 Sec. 7502
- Commissioner: means the Insurance Commissioner of this State. See Delaware Code Title 18 Sec. 7502
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Financing entity: means an underwriter, placement agent, lender, purchaser of securities, purchaser of a policy or certificate from a viatical settlement provider, credit enhancer, or any person that has a direct ownership in a policy or certificate that is the subject of a viatical settlement contract and all of the following:
- Fraudulent viatical settlement act: includes :
- insurance policy: means an individual or group policy, group certificate, contract, or arrangement of life insurance owned by a resident of this State, regardless of whether delivered or issued for delivery in this State. See Delaware Code Title 18 Sec. 7502
- Life insurance producer: means any person licensed in this State as a resident or nonresident insurance producer who has received qualification or authority for life insurance coverage or a life line of coverage pursuant to Chapter 17 of this title. See Delaware Code Title 18 Sec. 7502
- Related provider trust: means a titling trust or other trust established by a licensed viatical settlement provider or a financing entity for the sole purpose of holding the ownership or beneficial interest in purchased policies in connection with a financing transaction. See Delaware Code Title 18 Sec. 7502
- Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
- Viatical settlement broker: means a person, including a life insurance producer as provided for in § 7503 of this title, who working exclusively on behalf of a viator and for a fee, commission or other valuable consideration offers or attempts to negotiate viatical settlement contracts between a viator and 1 or more viatical settlement providers or 1 or more viatical settlement brokers. See Delaware Code Title 18 Sec. 7502
- Viatical settlement contract: includes a premium finance loan made for a life insurance policy by a lender to viator on, before, or after the date of issuance of the policy where any of the following are met:
- Viatical settlement provider: means a person, other than a viator, that enters into or effectuates a viatical settlement contract with a viator resident in this State. See Delaware Code Title 18 Sec. 7502
- Viatical settlement purchaser: means a person who provides a sum of money as consideration for a life insurance policy or an interest in the death benefits of a life insurance policy, or a person who owns or acquires or is entitled to a beneficial interest in a trust that owns a viatical settlement contract or is the beneficiary of a life insurance policy that has been or will be the subject of a viatical settlement contract, for the purpose of deriving an economic benefit. See Delaware Code Title 18 Sec. 7502
- Viator: means the owner of a life insurance policy or a certificate holder under a group policy who resides in this State and enters or seeks to enter into a viatical settlement contract. See Delaware Code Title 18 Sec. 7502
(b) With respect to any viatical settlement contract or insurance policy, no viatical settlement provider knowingly may enter into a viatical settlement contract with a viator, if, in connection with such viatical settlement contract, anything of value will be paid to a viatical settlement broker that is controlling, controlled by, or under common control with such viatical settlement provider or the viatical settlement purchaser, financing entity or related provider trust that is involved in such viatical settlement contract.
(c) A violation of subsection (a) or (b) of this section is a fraudulent viatical settlement act.
(d) A viatical settlement provider may not enter into a viatical settlement contract unless the viatical settlement promotional, advertising and marketing materials, as may be prescribed by regulation, have been filed with the Commissioner. Marketing materials may not expressly reference that the insurance is “free” for any period of time. The inclusion of any reference in the marketing materials that would cause a viator to reasonably believe that the insurance is free for any period of time is a violation of this Act.
(e) A life insurance producer, insurance company, viatical settlement broker, or viatical settlement provider may not make any statement or representation to the applicant or policyholder in connection with the sale or financing of a life insurance policy to the effect that the insurance is free or without cost to the policyholder for any period of time unless provided in the policy.